How to manage connected websites

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How to manage connected websites

This guide covers complete Site Manager operations: adding sites, validating connection health, maintaining metadata, and decommissioning old connections.

Required access: Site Manager access through your active license.

When to manage site connections

Use this workflow when adding a new site, auditing existing environments, or decommissioning old project sites.

How to add a new site

  1. Open Sites in the dashboard.
  2. Add a new site through the connect flow.
  3. Install/confirm GrootMade Connect if prompted.
  4. Confirm status is healthy.
  5. Run a small test install to validate operation path.

How to maintain existing sites

Run this maintenance cycle regularly:

  1. Review all site statuses.
  2. Reconnect sites with stale auth.
  3. Update site metadata/naming for clear ownership.
  4. Verify license allocations still match active projects.
  5. Remove stale or retired sites.

Verification checklist

Confirm:

  • Every active client/site is connected
  • No unknown/stale site entries remain
  • Site naming convention is consistent
  • At least one test install succeeds on healthy sites

What happens after site updates

  • Site status reflects current connectivity.
  • Install and update actions become available or unavailable accordingly.
  • License usage remains accurate as you connect or remove sites.

Troubleshooting

If a site stops responding, reconnect it from the same account and verify plugin authentication on WP.

Related guides

  • How to install GrootMade Connect
  • How to activate your license

Exact route paths

  • /dashboard/sites
  • /dashboard/licenses

Expected UI state after each step

  • Step 1: Sites list renders with current connection status.
  • Step 2: New site appears immediately after successful connect flow.
  • Step 3: Site metadata updates are reflected in the list.
  • Step 4: Disconnect removes stale sites from active operations.

Screenshot map (step-level)

  1. Site inventory and health states

  2. Cross-check with dashboard overview

Operational objective

Complete the “How to manage connected websites” workflow with predictable outcomes, clear auditability, and repeatable execution quality across team members and projects.

Acceptance criteria (all must pass)

  • The workflow can be completed without missing permissions or blocked route access.
  • All required dashboard routes load successfully for the active account.
  • The expected UI states are visible in the same order as documented.
  • At least one end-to-end validation confirms the process works in practice.
  • Evidence artifacts are captured for support and audit handoff.

Routes that must be reachable during validation:

  • /dashboard/sites
  • /dashboard/licenses

Failure modes and exact remediation

  • Permission failure: Recheck plan/license entitlements and retry after session refresh.
  • Route loads but action is missing: Confirm feature flags/plan gates and selected context (site/license).
  • Action runs but state does not update: Refresh, re-open the relevant page, and verify from history/log view.
  • Partial success in multi-step operations: Retry only failed sub-steps and preserve successful state.
  • Cross-page mismatch: Reconcile with dashboard history and capture timestamps before escalation.
  • Persistent failure after one controlled retry: Open support ticket with full evidence package.

Evidence package for support escalation

Collect all items before escalating:

  • Account email and user role
  • Affected route path and exact action taken
  • Site URL, product/license identifier (if relevant)
  • Timestamps for first failure and latest retry
  • Expected result vs actual result
  • Screenshot set listed below

Screenshot evidence checklist

  • Step 1: Site inventory and health states
  • Step 2: Cross-check with dashboard overview
  • One screenshot with visible timestamp (system clock/browser tab)
  • One screenshot showing route context or breadcrumb
  • One screenshot showing final persisted result
  • Replace any generic placeholder/demo visuals with real environment captures

FAQ

Can I skip steps if I already know this workflow?

Skip only after all acceptance criteria still pass. If any criterion fails, run the full sequence exactly as documented.

Should I run this in production first?

Use staging first for medium/high-impact changes. Promote to production only after validation evidence is complete.

What if my screen does not match the guide exactly?

UI can vary by plan and feature access. Validate route access, plan gates, and expected state outcomes instead of pixel-perfect layout.

How many retries should I perform before escalation?

Run one controlled retry after checklist validation. If failure persists, escalate with full evidence to avoid hidden side effects.

Who owns this guide operationally?

Implementation Team owns this guide and its periodic review cycle.

Guide metadata

  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated completion time: 20-30 minutes
  • Owner: Implementation Team
  • Last reviewed: 2026-03-18